With a week and change before the UFC returns, we’re currently left to fixate on hypothetical match-ups that get proposed and accepted over Twitter.

That and Frankenstorm, of course.

Over the weekend, a very intriguing welterweight pairing seemed to come together over social media, with Cesar Gracie suggesting that suspended welterweight Nick Diaz would very much be interested in stepping into the cage with former title challenger Josh Koscheck once he’s able to return. Gracie, who represents the former Strikeforce champion, told Tatame that his charge viewed Koscheck and Demian Maia as suitable options for his return fight, with Koscheck being the preferred choice because he’s a much more established name in North America.

Upon hearing the news, Koscheck took to Twitter, rolling out Diaz’s own catchphrase in his 140-character-maximum acceptance.

Considering Johny Hendricks and Martin Kampmann are poised to duke it out to earn top spot on the list of welterweight title challengers, pairing these two current and former contenders together in early 2013 makes all kinds of sense.

There were questions in the wake of Chael Sonnen being announced as the next title challenger for Jon Jones that Diaz might jump to the front of the line in the 170-pound ranks when he comes back, but UFC President Dana White was quick to dismiss the possibility. White suggested that Diaz would need to beat a top contender before finding his way into title contention, and though Koscheck may not fit anyone’s immediate image of a top contender at the moment, he, like Diaz, is coming off a loss, and is in need of a victory over an elite competitor if he hopes to remain in the title picture moving forward.

As much as there have been some questionable calls on the match-making end of things in recent weeks/months, if White and Joe Silva are able to get this one put together, they’ll earn a pass on a couple not-so-great pairings from me in the future.

What makes this match-up so perfect – and it is a perfect match-up for both fighters – is that both fighters are coming off losses in top of the division pairings; Koscheck to Hendricks back in May, and Diaz to Carlos Condit in an interim title bout at UFC 143 all the way back in February.

Diaz’s star power could have carried him into a more marquee match-up with someone on a winning streak and one step away from a title shot, but instead, he gets to dance with a well known name in a very similar position without the anyone getting unfairly bumped or Diaz not really losing ground because of his loss to Condit and subsequent suspension.

Additionally, these two are bound to talk all kinds of awesome junk in the media – social and regular – between over the next few months. Koscheck will be a perfect companion to Diaz’s unfiltered bravado and complete ambivalence; no one gets the impact of his words more than Koscheck, and no one gets it less than Stockton’s finest.

Furthermore, this potential match-up is an interesting fight stylistically as well. Both men like to stand and sling leather, but are very capable on the ground as well. Koscheck has been known to look to bring fights to the ground when he gets in trouble standing, but Diaz is proficient there as well, making this a pick-your-poison pairing for both men.

Though not yet official – or even initially suggested by the UFC – this one looks like it will come together, which means it’s one suspended fighter down, one to go, but that one to go is a very difficult puzzle to solve.

Alistair Overeem earned a title shot by stopping Brock Lesnar in his UFC debut back in December. The former Strikeforce champion is unquestionably one of the top heavyweights in the sport, but there is a hitch. Like Diaz, Overeem has been sidelined by a suspension – or an inability to apply for a licence – since producing a freakishly elevated T/E ratio back in April in advance of his title bout with Junior dos Santos.

Now he’s getting closer to returning, and no one is exactly sure what to do with him once he’s back.

White has suggested that “The Reem” will jump right back into the place he lost at UFC 146 sans fighting again, and you could make a case for such a decision. But there’s that great big elephant in the room that can’t be ignored either – that suspension.

For his part, Overeem – or at least his camp – seem to be more interested in getting back in the cage and fighting as soon as possible rather than holding out for a title fight. There are no guarantees that whoever emerges from the UFC 155 heavyweight title rematch between dos Santos and Cain Velasquez will come away healthy, so getting back into the cage as soon as he can makes more sense than hanging around.

He’s due to return at the end of the year (he was only given a nine-month suspension), but with JDS-Cain II taking place on the annual year-end card, an injury could leave the winner sidelined for an additional four-to-six months – if not more – and at this point, getting a fight under his belt makes a lot more sense than waiting. It’s also the best course of action for the UFC in my opinion.

I know business plays a big part in the decision making process, and an Overeem title fight would be big business, but at this point, can you really risk just rolling him into another title fight right after he comes back from a suspension for having an elevated T/E ratio?

Last time Overeem was slated to fight for the title, he was forced out, and the UFC was forced to adjust an entire main card of fights. Though he was pleading his cleanliness and taking his own test to prove it at the outset of his hiatus (what happened to that anyway?), there are plenty of people who still have plenty of questions, the current heavyweight champion chief among them.

Why not pair Overeem with another upper echelon heavyweight (Daniel Cormier anyone?) in early 2013 with the winner slated to face the dos Santos-Velasquez winner for the title later in the year?

As much as Overeem held down the top spot on the list of contenders prior to his suspension, a nine-month stint on the sidelines shouldn’t just be swept aside once he’s ready to return; there should be some penance that is required to be paid. One fight gives him the opportunity to re-establish himself as the top challenger in the division, and pass a drug tests or two without a potential title fight hanging the balance.

The universe seemed to come together to deliver us a perfect comeback match-up for Diaz, now if it could just bring us an ideal, uncomplicated pairing for Overeem as well.

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